Cupressus sempervirens glauca (Italian Pencil Pine) is an evergreen conifer that grows tall and straight. Commonly used in feature gardens and driveways they are cold hardy, drought tolerant and provide all year round colour. Their dark bluish-green foliage make excellent screens and are low-maintenance.
Suitable for Cold, Temperate and Sub-Tropical climates.
The Italian Pencil Pines are suitable for all climates and can tolerate a wide range of soils. For a similar style but a different colour, check out our page on Golden Swanes Conifers. There is also the Kashmir Cypress and the Arizona Cypress.
Growth
Cupressus sempervirens glauca is a fast growing conifer variety that can reach heights of up to 8 metres (25 feet). They are cold hardy to as low as -10°C / 14°F and once established don’t require any watering. Young plants are more challenging and require regular watering especially during summers. On hot days juveniles will extra water and a place that is shaded from the afternoon sun. After their first full winter they are generally able to tolerate a full sun position so spring is an ideal time to transplant into the ground.
The needles of the Italian Pencil Pine are scented and fairly soft to the touch. Gloves are recommended when handling the plants as they excrete a very sticky sap. The trees have a flaky, scaly bark and produces spherical female seed cones about the size of a cherry ( 2 cm ).
FAMILY:
Cupressaceae
CLIMATE:
Cold – Tropical
TEMPERATURE RANGE:
-5 to 25°C / 23 to 77°F
SOIL TYPE:
Soil must be well draining.
LOCATION:
Full Sun – Part Shade
HEIGHT:
Up to 8 metres (25 feet)
WIDTH:
Up to 1 metres (3 feet)
pH:
5.0-7.0
GROWTH TYPE:
Evergreen.
WATER REQUIREMENTS:
Medium
POLLINATION:
Wind.
MATURITY:
7-10 years
GERMINATION RATES:
55-85% dependent on length of cold stratification period.
GERMINATION TIME:
Cold stratification for 8-10 weeks, post sowing germination from 3-6 weeks
SEEDS PER GRAM:
Approximately 60
MEDICINAL QUALITIES:
No
WEED POTENTIAL:
No
FACTS ABOUT CUPRESSUS SEMPERVIRENS GLAUCA (Italian Pencil Pine)
Other names include Italian Cypress and Mediterranean Cypress.
One Cypress Tree in Iran is said to be around 4000 years old.
This variety doesn’t produce as many cones as their relatives.
